WATCH: Smell from hell as sewage pipe goes unrepaired for months

One eSikhaleni resident feels let down by the City of uMhlathuze, his home resembling a sewage pit, after a leaking pipe has gone unrepaired for more than three months.

Sibonelo Mbuyazi said his plea to municipal officials, including senior staff at his local reporting office, have fallen on deaf ears.

“They have been coming and going without any solution or response to what might be holding up fixing this stench in my house,” said Mbuyazi.

Frustrated, Mbuyazi said the situation has forced his family to live with windows and doors closed, which he described as an infringement of their rights.

“I am paying rates and taxes every month. This has the potential to cause health problems for my family, and my children have nowhere to play as the yard is full of overflowing sewage,” said Mbuyazi.

Service delivery and associated backlogs have been persistent in recent months, with Anthony Crescent in Empangeni reported to have been without streetlights for six months.

According to a resident, this has led to an increase in house break-ins in the neighbourhood.

Ward 23 Councillor Andre de Lange acknowledged the non-functioning streetlights on Anthony Crescent, saying the issue was reported to the relevant department, which cited that the only cherry picker in the city was out of service.

Responding to the Zululand Observer’s query about the burst sewage pipe, the city said the relevant department is investigating the matter.

Don’t have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here:

HAVE YOUR SAY